1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tire changing implements for assisting in the removal of tires and, more particularly, to a hand-held bead breaking device that allows the user to quickly and easily break the bead of larger tubeless pneumatic tires such as those found on motorcycles, cars and trucks.
2. Description of the Background
Tubeless pneumatic tires include two beads or bead bundles on either side of the wheel rim. A bead is typically a ring of high-strength cable coated with rubber which gives the tire strength to stay seated on the wheel rim and support when being installed on the wheel rim. In order to remove a tire from a wheel rim the user must laterally displace the tire bead over the step on the inside of the rim, commonly referred to as “breaking the bead”. Breaking the bead is done so that the tire can be moved into the smaller diameter center of the rim making it easier to remove. Breaking the bead is especially difficult on larger tires such as those found on motorcycles, cars and trucks.
There have been a number of prior efforts to provide tools for “breaking the bead”.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,361 to Yates issued Jan. 9, 2001 shows an all-in-one tool which contains various implements for use in tubeless tire repair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,578 to Gonzaga issued Sep. 15, 1998 shows a manual tire bead breaking lever which is tantamount to a crow bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,330 to Heise issued Oct. 6, 1992 shows a portable and relatively complex device for breaking the bead of a rubber tire from a wheel rim.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,271 to Gamez issued Apr. 7, 1987 shows an adjustable screw and frame device for breaking the bead of tires.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,572 to Newburgh issued Sep. 6, 1988 shows a mechanical device for breaking beads of pneumatic tires which includes a pair of jaw members, one of which is leveraged to break the bead of the tire held there between.
Most of the above devices are cumbersome and overly complicated apparatuses that are difficult to transport, expensive and difficult to operate. Even the smaller of the above-referenced devices are heavy metal and unwieldy, and they fail to provide the appropriate broad-wedge force to break the beads on truck or heavy duty construction equipment.
Although all of the above-referenced patents are generally directed to tire repair, they do not teach or suggest a simple, light-weight manual bead breaking implement with a broad, flat, rugged and resilient wedge for quickly, easily and safely breaking the bead of larger tubeless tires such as found on motorcycles, cars and trucks. It would be greatly advantageous to provide such a device that can be carried in one's pocket and quickly deployed for breaking the bead of larger tubeless tires, thereby facilitating removal of the tire safely and efficiently.